#4 Crossing
the Balkans5825 km, 126,350 md +, 4 months on the bike, 4 days of
rest
Fourth and last stage in the Alps: from the Dolomites to Ljubljana.
Finally, we do not miss the Dinaric Alps ... mountains never
stop! Let's go to Istanbul.

Leaving Venice for a bike trip ...
what a funny idea! Impossible to walk the cobbled streets or navigate
on a gondola, the goal is to reach the heart of the Dolomites
(trip # 3) with more than 6000 meters of elevation gain. The
Alpine passes are such mythical and sublime: Monte Grappa, passo
Rolle, Valles and di Giau (2236 m). Hard to hold the wheel of
a race bike with full panniers: such good things to eat ... Climbs
after the climbs, the sun leaves us to stay by the sea: the weather
is downright bad! It rains when it is not snowing, it is just
cold and humid. In Cortina d'Ampezzo, the weather announces 15
bad days, we have to go on. We fastly get used to strong efforts,
elevation gain and winter conditions of a month of May. Passes
Sella Ciampigotto and Sauris are closed: forced to slalom between
snowdrifts and stone blocks scattered on the road. Bitumen gradually
gives way to forest tracks, the adventure can begin ...

In Bovec, Slovenia, the atmosphere
becomes more mineral. The road that cuts into the Julian Alps
is steeped in history: 25 km and 50 bends built by Russian prisoners.
Hell in paradise ... The sun shines the crystal clear waters of
the Soca up to the Vric pass (1611 m), the place is unreal.
After a quick visit to Bled, the Triglav limestone park gives
a break around Lake Bohinj (Bohinjsko jezero), nothing like a
hike to stretch your legs. Here the valleys are peaceful and the
traditional wooden huts add charm to pedaling. The weather becomes
capricious again, not a day goes by without rain until Ljubljana.
The end of the Alpine arc ends gently: what a personal satisfaction,
this trip started 4 years ago ... Geneva-Nice!
A dream of a bike-traveler ...

After a day of rest in the Slovenian
capital (visit on two wheels of course), the ride is finally set
to the south to open the door to the Balkans. The landscapes become
more hilly and the villages picturesque: few tourists in this
beautiful countryside of medium mountains.

Croatia is the relaxing and touristic part of the
Balkan crossing: 300 km of coastal road from Senj to Makarska,
only bitumen, few climbs ... though! The sun is strong in the
morning, the days start at 5 am to take advantage of the freshness
and the little traffic. Turquoise blue sea, multicolored butterflies,
historic cities (Starigrad, Zadar, Sibenik, Togir, Split), long
breaks in the shade: everything is there for paradise holidays!
At the north, national parks punctuate the route. Risnjak is made
in emergency, head under the pancho. No time to spot a lynx or
a bear: the forest is not very inviting. Plitvice (Plitvicka jezera)
gives a deep breathing with a nice hike between lakes and waterfalls.
The north Velebit park (Sjeverni Velebit) is a karst revelation:
the whiteness of the limestone contrasts with the Adriatic. The
wooden cabins bring a little warmth and comfort, hot near the
stove and in a cozy bed. Further south, Paklenica reveals a magnificent
climbing site wedged in a narrow canyon. Often, the remains of
the breakup of Yugoslavia are still visible 30 years after the
war: ripped houses and antipersonnel mines reported by the roadside.
Impressive!

The welcome in Bosnia is fantastic. There are very
few tourists, so the arrival of two bikers is a real event. In
Mostar, the bike jumps on the cobblestones of Stari most, this
famous medieval bridge destroyed by the Serbs and rebuilt in 2003.
The mosques and their minarets suddenly replace the churches ...
the bike trip allows you to plunge into the heart of religions
and the history of this little piece of Europe. The roads are
strangely deserted and the uphill climbs are suffocating. No shade!
The green gorges of the Zalomka river provide access to the Gacko
plateau, at over 1,000 meters above sea level. The mountains of
Montenegro are around, the country is five kilometers as the crow
flies, but look at the map, the border post extends by at least
150 km from the north ... A path does exist, he cuts across fields
and a few broken wooden huts. The border is marked by a simple
sign, no barrier or guard. Easy to illegally enter the country
... will it be the same to get out?

Montenegro is the kingdom of cycling,
especially since the country is developing beautiful mountain
bike circuits. The arrival by the Durmitor park and the Tara canyon
is an explosion of happiness: the wild and preserved place is
worth the detour alone. Few cyclists must take our route, it rises
very strong every day on paths that are not even indicated on
tourist maps. The experience is great! Sometimes you have to push
the bike, often you have to put on the poncho ... here, the storms
are violent and fast. We barely escape the hail in a providential
stable: the landscape turns white in a few minutes. We will be
less lucky on a path transformed into a torrent by raging waters:
the expression "being soaked" takes on its full meaning.
Truly incredible moments! Traveling by bike means accepting uncertainty,
relative discomfort and feeling of being left to yourself. The
contrast of colors is striking with the surrounding mountains:
the Bobotov Kuk, culminating at 2,523 meters, appears snow-capped
between two clouds. The bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) at 6 a.m.
is resplendent, especially with 1200 m of vertical drop made in
the cool ... happiness within reach of pedal! This 30 km fjord
tears a deep blue rugged and tormented massif; the road around
the two peninsulas (Lutica and Vrmac) allows you to breathe
a bit in a Mediterranean atmosphere between olive trees and crickets.
The traditional villages with their fishing port and their church
alternate with tourist spots and seaside resorts: one thus rolls
from the very trendy Budva to the postcard Sveti Stefan ...

After a day of rest in Bar, the mountain
stages bring us back in 3 days to the north-east of the country
via Lake Skadar (Shkodër) and the magnificent alpine valley
of Kelmend in Albania. New panoramas between 1,000 and 1,800 m
pass by: the meadows (Katun). Some barracks have been built in
the middle of nowhere and stand the test of time, just like these
shepherds and lumberjacks who live far from all modernity. No
roads, no electricity, no water even less tourists. The bike meeting
is exceptional: you just have to take the time to stop. At the
background Kosovo appears to be dug between the mountains, the
country is surprisingly flat. The welcome is as always warm, especially
since the rain is there. Culinary specialties such as kefta kebabs
or byrek puff pastry require a next trip.

Albania is a real surprise for those who do not
limit themselves to the Adriatic coast, the Albanian Riviera.
The hard mountain paths are reserved to adventurers and allow
to cross the country from north to south without touching the
asphalt. The Valbona valley gives directly the mood: the initial
idea was to reach the Valbonës pass at 1,795 meters to reach
the Theth valley ... it is finally on foot that we will hike in
a round trip: the trail is not for mountain-biking! The itinerary
adapts day by day according to the relief, the weather and the
meetings. Communication is quite good despite a very limited vocabulary
... "rüga problem" is essential: the departmental
roads that cut the country east / west are broken tracks. All
Albanians complain about politics and corruption: the feeling
of misery and abandonment keeps coming up in conversations. Speaking
of France, some bright eyes hoping to change their lives, others
cry in memory of a stay in Calais! The shepherds of the Lura park
(Parku Kombëtar Lurë) live in shelds open to the wind,
built up with 4 poles and a plastic tarp as a roof. Their daily
life is punctuated by the milking of their goats: the milk is
transported in the valley by donkey. Life is both beautiful and
so hard, a terribly emotionak moment!

To the east, the Qafë-Shtamë park avoids
the traffic jams of Tirana and joins the town of Elbasan. The
run down track badly encountered arms and equipment: the rear
wheel axle breaks. The repair is a miracle because no part is
in stock for a "recent" MTB! Twice, the path no longer
exists ... swept away by landslides. Getting around an obstacle
is paid for by great efforts, but providence brings a luxury bivouac
under the stars or an unforgettable encounter: you are never immune
to an invitation, an Albanian coffee (do not say Turkish coffee)
and a shot of raki ... both at the same time, even at 7 a.m. In
the south of the country, the sand tracks at the seaside tire
more than the mountain passes: on rolls even on the beach ...
the chain of the bicycle still remembers. In Saranda, it is time
to take a ferry to reach Greece, Corfu: let the holidays begin!

The Corfu tour is a moment of relaxation
by the seaside; the ascent of the great Pantokrator (900 meters)
is the only mountain stage on the island. The bivouacs are posed
facing the Adriatic under the olive trees, in the wild grasses
and the smells of summer, the beach is never very far ... paradise!
The vegetation is scorched by the sun, at 11 am it is already
very hot even in the shade of the Orthodox chapels. The return
to the continent is tough: the sweltering heat makes the climbs
exhausting. Hard to get back on the saddle before 4 pm. The Pramanta
stage is difficult but grand: each turn of the wheel is a victory
over the pebble, the turns are linked in pain to the pass at 1,800
meters. Up to Kalambaka, chaotic paths follow one another at a
hellish pace! In Meteora, the tranquility of monasteries suspended
in the sky disappears under the flood of tourists dumped by whole
buses. The place remains magical and full of mysterious legends.
These giant pudding seems to come out of the imagination of the
Gods of Greek mythology ...

Istanbul is in the east, yet the
course is set in the west to join the Pindus and Tymphe parks,
more than 100 km to bike in the opposite direction, nothing to
understand ... especially as the rain returns in a greek summer!
After Kastoria, Albania opens its borders again for 50 km. The
shepherds are always there for a helping hand: a rusty wire fence
will secure my luggage rack until arrival. Thank you artists!
At Lake Prespa, Macedonia turns out to be a great feelings of
the Balkans: the locals speak with pride of their country and
their life: Ottoman presence, religions, First World War, migration,
the breakup of Yugoslavia, everything is there. I forget the crossing
without border post at the top of Mount Varos (2,524 m), the situation
is very tough with the Greeks: forced to improvise a new circuit
to the Bulgarian border. Some souls live in lost villages, time
has frozen! There is no bitumen and the paths are difficult to
ride, little used ... especially full of water!

The Bulgarian part is intense and extremely varied.
A geological curiosity due to erosion, Melnik is a typical village
surrounded by sandy mountains. Crossing a tunnel dug in sand which
crumbles with the passage of the hand, that's ... scary! The track
goes up north along the Pirin park; the locals explain that it
is impossible to reach Bansko ... then the GPS helps to locate
in a maze of dead ends and indications in Cyrillic. The entrance
to the Rhodopes massif is magical: the place is just beautiful
even if the glaciers posed at more than 2900 meters look pale!
It's mushroom season: the chanterelles ooked in the casserole
dish give a special flavor to the fast-cooking pasta. The water
springs are everywhere, what a joy to get fresh water several
times a day. But the main advantage of the Rhodopes is the presence
of shelters ... more or less luxurious. We will find at least
a roof, benches and tables, a barbecue. Some are real jewels of
wooden architecture, you can even cook there or spend the night
... From Dospat, a beautiful 8-loop is being prepared: the passes
and the valleys follow one another. You have to get lost on the
trails to visit the monasteries and inaccessible villages. The
bike is set down to discover the Trigrad gorges, the Trigradska
and the natural arch of Cudnite, marvels of eroded rocks. The
lakes of Batak and Chiroka allow you to share the Bulgarians'
holidays, caravanning, bbq, fishing, techno music ... life in
all simplicity!

The axle (broken and repaired with hammer blows
in Albania) makes the bike tremble again, the wheel will be changed
in Pamporovo in the only sports shop in the region, and luckily
... the owner is a former Downhill mountain biking champion! South
of the Rozen pass, the Turkish influence becomes visible again
with its mosques and minarets pointing towards the sky. After
60 km of winding road along the Arda river, the bivouac is placed
near the Devil bridge built in the 16th century ... the night
is mild contradicting legends of yesteryear! Back in Greece, the
Aegean Sea lights up our days so the thorns pierce the inner tubes:
when there is no more patch, there is always a bagbiker meeting!
The pedal strokes in the forest of Dadia Lefkimi brings a last
shade of greenery to the trip; the river of the Balkan peninsula,
the Maritza marks the entry into an arid plain ... Turkey.

The crossing of
the Turkish border gives the atmosphere: it's hot! The sun beats
down strongly on the first kilometers, where the overloaded cars
wait with more or less impatience in front of armed soldiers ...
The dust of the tracks flies away under the wheels: no asphalt,
no air, no shade ... except on the terrace of cafes where men
congregate. The tranquility of the villages stops for a short
while we pass: hands are raised and conversations are raging.
Impossible to leave without a bottle of fresh water or a bag of
vegetables, what a kindness! The canals irrigate large desert
fields ... nobody dares to venture there during the hottest hours
of the day. Up to Gelibolu, the seaside is less monotonous and
more mountainous, the atmosphere is more festive. To avoid the
hellish traffic of Istanbul and 100 km of urbanization, the southern
shore of the Marmara Sea seems to be more "pleasant".
The Asian main road allows us to pedal fast on a highway ... a
few meters from the noisy cars! Few variations are possible up
to Bandirma, where the ferry leads to the heart of Istanbul effortlessly.

Constantinople is
obviously wonderful, the history of the world is played out before
our eyes. The bikes are put down with relief: hard to regain the
rhythm of walking because fatigue is felt after 4 months strenuous
on the saddle. It hurts everywhere. The visits are rich and endless,
Grande Sophie, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Galata Tower, Grand
Bazaar, Basilica Cistern, Ortaköy district, Bosphorus bridge,
etc.Istanbul is an open door to Asia ... see you soon!